A few years ago, my father-in-law started to complain about his balance, feelings of dizziness, and muscle weakness. Over a period of a few months he had fallen several times. One such fall led to a fractured right arm, serious enough to land him in hospital.While there, a geriatrician diagnosed him…
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Discrimination, defined by the Canadian Human Rights commission, is an action or a decision that treats a person or a group negatively for reasons such as their race, age, or disability. This blog post is about the first experience of discrimination I faced following the birth of our son, with Down syndrome.I…
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I recently posted a blog about an interview I had with Henry, a man in his 60s who had sustained a hemiplegic spinal cord injury (SCI) some 20 years ago in a car accident. This injury left him paralyzed from about his waist down. That interview focused on the first few days post-accident – his initial…
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My 88 year old father-in-law was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014. According to the gerontologist, his condition was likely caused by one, if not several, previously incurred strokes; the symptoms of which had gone undetected for quite some time. The physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges…
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So there I was, lying inclined on a birthing table in a hospital delivery room. I was baring down with the last hard push needed to deliver our baby. My husband was bedside, holding my hand. The doctor, seated in front of me, began guiding the baby safely out. "It's a boy!" the doctor announced. My…
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I had the opportunity to interview a man living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). His pseudonym is Henry. He was injured in a car accident nearly 20 years ago. He was 64 years old. Henry described his life prior to that accident as beautiful. He was successful in his own business and he made good money.“I…
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On December 12, 2015 my husband and I got a phone call from one of his brothers. It was bad news. Their 87 year old mother was in hospital in grave condition. The thoracic aortic aneurysm, which she had had for many years, had grown to the size of a cantaloupe and was now leaking. The biggest concern…
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I saw this video, posted below, of a father describing what it was like to have a child with Down syndrome. He said, "Down syndrome is literally one of the most beautiful things that's ever happened in my life". The father went on to describe it as being: "fun, brillant, loving, kind, amazing, cuddly...people…
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I went into labour with our second child in February 1994. We gave birth to a boy. My husband and I already had a girl. So we were very happy to be rounding out our family with his birth.My husband actually jumped for joy. After all, isn’t it most fathers’ desire to want a boy? We were on top of…
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